First Taste: The Beehive serves up happy hour with ritzy, throwback vibes

If you like your happy hour spots to have a certain flair and funk, add The Beehive to your list of must-sip neighborhood watering holes.

From partners Phil West, Arnold Eric Wong, and Steve Werney—the team behind the sophisticated FiDi cocktail bar The Treasury—The Beehive is about all things fun and retro-glamorous.

Mad Men feels abound in the Floriana-designed interiors that exude mid-century modern style and over-the-top kitschy vibes. You could getting lost in the mirrored walls with glass overlay prints that glow from the sparkling Jonathan Adler Sputnik chandeliers; the quartz bar, with its red leather bumper, sets a throwback scene for ordering from 12 signature, innovative cocktails—concocted by lead bartender Emilio Salehi and Carlos Yturria—with ingredients that might puzzle even the most discerning of San Francisco drinkers. (Look for peanut-washed Bulleit bourbon and caramelized bananas in the Hound Dog; makrut leaf and yogurt in the Ipanema Gold; and a fruity orange "Beehive Tang" in a spiked slushy.)

There are also eight beers and 11 wines by the glass. The bottom line: You won't be going home thirsty.

Once you've worked your way through the liquid delights, the menu of playful small bites, devised by chef Byron Gee (formerly of The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus) includes pigs-in-a-blanket, Swedish meatballs, a trio of deviled eggs, and savory cheese fondues.

From left: the Bikini Drifter, and Ipanema Gold.

(Photography by Sarah Chorey)

The real stars of The Beehive: the drinks! Get started with trademark bevvies like the purple-y Bikini Drifter (Havana Club Blanco rum, Mount Gay Black Barrel rum, coconut, pineapple, and a splash of Anchan Chamomile Falernum) or the Ipanema Gold (Avuá Amburana Cachaça rum, yogurt, lime, a hint of mango, and citrusy makrut leaves).